Machine for forming sand cores.



PATENTED MAY 5*, 1903. S. C. WEEKS n L. OBRIEN.

MACHINE EUR FORMING SAND GORES'.

APPLIQATION Hmm nu 19, 1902.

No MODEL. l

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Ninn SrwrnsV Patented May 5, 1903.

MACHINE FOR FRMING SAND CORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,517, dated May 5, 1903. Application led May 19,1902. Serial No.l()`7,926. (No modeL' To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL C. WEEKS and LOUIS OBRIEN, of Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulV Improvement in Machines for Forming Sand Cores, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in machines for forming sand cores and is designed to provide a power-operated machine of simple construction by means of which sand cores, and particularly those of standard or frequentlyused patterns, may be rapidly and cheaply made.

With this obj ect in view our invention consists in the combination, with a fixed platen, of a core-box movable toward and away from said platen from the under side thereof and having a bottom portion movable throughthe box to form an ejector for the formed core, together with means for actuating the said box and bottom portion.

Our invention also consists in providing the power-cylinders which actuate the` core-box and its bottom portion with controlling-valves and lever operating mechanism therefor, whereby the movement of'a single lever will control the proper relative operation of the two cylinders in the manner hereinafter described; also, in providing means whereby various forms of core-boxes and platens may be used interchangeably on the same machine to form cores of different sizes and patterns.

Our invention also consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all substantially as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of a machine embodying ourinvention; Fig. 2, an end view of a portion of the machine, and Fig. 3 a detail view showing one of the three-way valves.

The letter A designates the frame of the machine, upon the bed or table portion of which is a iixed and preferably hollow piston B. C is a cylinder iitted to work on said piston and to which are connected liftingrods D, which support the table E for a core-box F. The said box has a movable bottom portion G, which is carried by a piston or plunger I-I, working in a cylinder II', which depends from the table E. The downward movement of this bottom is limited by the stops I, which are shown as consisting of hollow tubes adjustably seated in the table E and held in the proper adjustment by means of collars I', which are secured thereto by setscrews i and are themselves h eld from turning by engagement with the cylinder H. By loosening the set-screws 't' and removing these collars the stops I can be raised or lowered to vary the thickness of the core to be formed. The upward movement of the bottom G is limited and adjusted by means of nuts h, threaded onto rods J, which extend through the tubular stops I and are screwed into said bottom. These nuts are of suftlcientdiameter to prevent them from passing through the said stops, whereby their engagement with the lower ends of the latter when the bottom is raised prevents further movement of the said bottom. The core-box is removably secured to the table E, as shown, in order that boxes of different sizes and shapes may be used interchangeably, and to permit the use of different bottoms to correspond with the different boxes the table E is cut away or hollowedout, as shown at E.

R designates a iixed platen, which is removably secured to the underside of the table portion of the frame A. The particular form of the platen will of course vary with different core-boxes, and its under surface may be given any contour which it is desired to produce on the surface of the core, as may also the upper surface of the movable bottom G.

To actuate the cylinder C and the piston or plunger H, we may use steam, water, or compressed air, the latter being employed in the particular machine which we have illustrated in the drawings.

K, Fig. 2, designates the supply-pipe leading to the receiver of an air-compressor, (not shown,) and K is a branch leading from said pipe into the upper portion of the cylinder C. Preferably, in order to avoid the use of joints or iiexible material in the pipe K, we lead it IOO into the cylinder through the frame and piston B, as shown in Fig. l.

K2 designates the exhaust or release pipe.

L is a three-way valve, which in one position connects the pipes K K', and in a second position connects pipes K K2. M is the actuating-lever for said valve, provided with the stop-arms m, which by their engagement with a iixed lug or projection M act to properly limit the movement of said lever.

N is a pipe leading from the pipe K to the bottom of the cylinder H and formed with a flexible portion N. N2 is the exhaust or relief connection for the said cylinder.

O is a three-way valve, which is similar to the valve L and which in one position connects pipes K and N and in a second position connects pipe N and N2. The stem of the valve O has connected thereto an arm P, and a bar or rod P connects this arm with the lever M, above described, whereby the operation of the lever M effects the movement of both valves. v

S designates yielding or resilient buffers for checking the descent of the cylinder C. In the present instance these buffers consist of blocks of rubber.

The operation is as follows: The lever M being in the intermediate position shown in Fig. 2, the core-box and its movable bottom will be in the vposition shown in Fig. 1. The core-box is filled with sand, and the lever M is moved to its upper position, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,) which moves the valve to admit air to the cylinder C. The cylinder now moves up, carrying with it the table E and core-box F, and the sand is compressed in said box between the platen J and the bottom G to form the core. The leverM is then moved to its opposite extreme position, and by this movement the valve L is turned to connect the pipe K with the exhaustpipe K2, and shortly thereafter the valve O is turned to admit air to the cylinder H. As soon as the exhaust connection'is made the cylinder C falls by gravity, and as soon as air is admitted to the cylinder I-I the bottom G is raised to eject the core from the box. After the core has been removed the lever M is returned to the position shown in Fig. 2, which connects the cylinder H with the exhaust, and the bottom falls by gravity, leaving the core-box ready to receive a fresh charge of sand.l The effective movement of the valve O, it will be noted, takes place While the lever .M is moving between its extreme low and its intermediate positions.

By employing a fixed platen and moving the core-box towardand away from the same and at the under side thereof we require the use of power in but one direction, the descent of the core-box being effected by gravity.

vThis is important, since if power were required in both directions it would be necessary to employ an engine and regular enginevalves to eifect the operation instead of the simple cylinder and valve shown. rThe loalso be noted that by simply unscrewing the nuts at the upper ends of the lifting-rods D the cylinder C canl be easily removed and the packing renewed or xed. Furthermore, as constructed the machine is readily portable and may be set up at any convenient point without providing a pit, as would be necessary were the cylinder below the corebox.

We do not wish to limit ourselves to the particular.construction, combination, and arrangement ot' parts herein shown and described, as various changes may be made in the details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

I. In a machine for forming sand cores, the combination with a fixed platen, of a table movable toward and away from the said platen at the under side thereof, a core-box supported by said table and having a bottom portion movable therethrough to eject the formed cores, means for actuating said table and bottom portion, and stops for limiting both the upward and the downward movement of the said bottom portion.

2. In a machine for making sand cores, the combination of a fixed platen, a frame or table, a core-box carried thereby and having a bottom portion movable therethrough, a power-cylinder for actuating said frame or table, a second cylinder for actuating said portion, valves controlling the said cylinders, and lever 4 mechanism for operating said valves, saidvalves and mechanism being so arranged that a movement of a hand-lever in one direct-ion will first release the power in the last-named cylinder and subsequently admit it to the first-named cylinder, and a movement in the other direction will release the power on the last-named cylinder and subsequently admit it to the first-named cylinder.

3. In a machine for making sand cores, the combination with a power-cylinder for actuating the press which forms the core, and a second powercylinder which actuates an ejector for the formed core, of a valve controlling each of said cylinders, and an actuating-lever connected to both of said valves, said valves and the lever connections being so arranged that the full movement of said lever in either direction will cause a reverse non-simultaneous action of said valves.

4:. In a machine for forming sand cores, the combination of a ixed platen, a frame or table movable toward and away from the said platen at the under side thereof, a core-box carried by said frame or table, and having a bottom portion movable therethrough, separate power-cylinders for actuating the said IOO IIO

table or frame and the movable bottom portion, and means for adjustably limiting the movement of said bottom portion.

5. In a machine for forming sand cores, the combination with the core-box, the movable bottom portion movable Within the said box to eject the formed core therefrom,the plunger or piston carrying said bottom portion, and the power-cylinder therefor, of the adjustable stops for limiting the movement of said bottom portion in both directions.

6. In a machine for forming sand cores, the combination of the frame having a fixed removable platen, a table movable toward and away from the said platen, a core-box removably secured to said table, and having a bottom portion movable therethrough, a plunger which carries said bottom portion, a powercylinder in which said piston or plunger works, and stops for limiting the movement of the piston or plunger.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a fixed platen, of a corebox movable toward and away from said platen at the under side thereof, said corebox having a bottom portion movable vertically therein to eject the formed cores, actuating mechanisms for the core-boX and its bottom portion, and a single operating-lever arranged to control both said actuating mechanisms.

In testimony whereof We have affixed our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

SAMUEL C. WEEKS. LOUIS OBRIEN. Witnesses:

L. OOONNELL, H. W. SMITH. 

